PJM columnist Burt Prelutsky has been pondering why Dan Rather decided to file a lawsuit against CBS. Aside from the obvious desire to get his name and face back in the news, could it have something to do with --of all things-- the Phil Spector trial?

I assume that 75 year old Dan Rather doesn’t play golf or collect stamps or knit. Because, obviously, if he had a hobby, he wouldn’t have decided to spend a major portion of his golden years pursuing even more gold than he already has.

I suspect that Mr. Rather doesn’t really care about the money his lawyers are seeking to pry loose from CBS, Viacom and three of his former superiors, Sumner Redstone, Lester Moonves and Andrew Hayward, but that it’s revenge he seeks. Rather feels they wronged him by cutting him loose, sort of the way a woman might feel if she was left waiting at the altar. Rather might as well be suing those guys for alienation of affections.

It’s his contention that even after the flap caused by his airing the bogus story about George W. Bush and his National Guard service forced the network to remove him from the anchor desk, CBS promised he would get plenty of air time. Even back in 2004, I assumed what CBS had in mind for Rather, who was running well behind Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw, was to give him plenty of fresh air time. After all, when you consistently run third in a three man race, you can’t really expect the suits and the sponsors not to notice.

Frankly, I expect that when Rather found himself behind the 8-ball, there was a tremendous sigh of relief in the CBS boardroom. It provided the honchos with the perfect excuse for dumping him.

If we’re to believe Rather’s lawyers — and why would anyone ever doubt a lawyer? — one of the stories he was dying to cover was Hurricane Katrina, of all things. I figure, though, that it wasn’t the opportunity to get his hair mussed and his loafers muddy that had him chomping at the bit, but, instead, the chance to blame the president for all the bad weather. In their statement, his attorneys claimed that “Mr. Rather is the most experienced reporter in the United States in covering hurricanes, but CBS refused to send him, thus furthering its desire to keep Mr. Rather off the air.” (“Furthering its desire”? Who teaches lawyers to write that way?)

Aside from his obvious desire to get his name and face back in the news, I think there are two other people to blame for Dan Rather’s decision to pursue this matter. The first is his erstwhile colleague at the network, Andy Rooney, who’s still drawing a CBS paycheck at the age of 88. Rather no doubt looks at him and tells himself that he’s still just a kid. One can easily picture him gazing into his bathroom mirror and grousing: “How dare CBS put me out to pasture when Rooney can barely make it out of the barn!”

The second person is Phil Spector. Or, rather, it’s his jury. I mean, could it just be a coincidence that Rather announced his lawsuit the very day after Spector’s jury announced that, basically, seven of them believed that Lana Clarkson went to Phil Spector’s house for the first time, somehow figured out where he kept his gun, and then sat down in the foyer and shot herself?! O.J.’s jury could only sit home, shaking their heads in stunned admiration.

So, I can see how Rather may have decided that if he can somehow get his case heard in Los Angeles, he just might win his case in a cakewalk.

Still, if I were as old and as rich as Dan Rather, I don’t think I’d want to get myself tangled up with a slew of lawyers. Instead, I’d figure that I’ve already had all the revenge on CBS that I ever really needed. And her name is Katie Couric.

18 Comments, 18 Threads

1.
progressoverpeace

Dan Rather is just proving what many of us have known for a long time – that he is one of the dumbest people who ever appeared on TV.

I remember seeing Rather appear on one of those Fred Friendly media seminars and proceed to totally screw up every question that was asked of him. Rather reversed himself several times in the course of the first 20 minutes and finally gave up on providing any direct answer – to save the rest of us the empathetic embarassment.

Dan Rather is scum who should have been thrown in jail for the exact actions for which the moron is now suing CBS.

Personally, I would be happy to see both Dan and CBS left destitue and penniless, as neither contributes anything constructive to our society.

Let’s hope this goes to trial: it will be so much fun! As others have remarked, CBS would likely have to address the bogus documents Dan and his “60 Minutes” crew used to produce the bogus segment. It’ll be entertaining to watch Dan suffer another public BDS meltdown!

Let’s hope this goes to trial: it will be so much fun! As others have remarked, CBS would likely have to address the bogus documents Dan and his “60 Minutes” crew used to produce the bogus segment. It’ll be entertaining to watch Dan suffer another public BDS meltdown!

There you were Burt, on a roll, writing a terrific posting for us and then suddenly–KA BOOM! Paragraph 6. You had to mention Andy Looney’s name and ruin it for me. Why? Why? Why? Looney is such a putz. When was the last time that senile old f**t, He of the Weird Eyebrows, had anything sensible to say? Oh, maybe in 1892 or so. Ya think?

Iapetus: I’m no fan of Andy Rooney, but by the time I mentioned his name, I had already mentioned Dan Rather’s name about 10 times. Surely after all that, you could handle a single non-complimentary reference to the boring old poop.

I think Rather saw how fast CBS settled with Imus, and figured this would be a cakewalk. After CBS settles out of court, Rather will then talk about how his reputation has been restored, and the documents about Bush are now authenticated.

I wonder. . . not interested in the money? Why did he jump on the litigation wagon right after Imus won a giant payment? Hmmm. I do agree that Rather’s mental capabilities are in question. . . always were.

AllenS is right. Any kind of setlement–the details of which will remain secret–would allow Rather and Mapes to claim they were right all along. We can only hope that Rather’s ego will demand a trial or that CBS grows a pair. But I suspect CBS will cave. They hardly want sunshine brought to bear on how they fiddle the news, do they?

If anyone knows where CBS’s skeletons are buried it’s probably Rather, so I too expect CBS to cave and pay him to go away. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t heartily enjoy watching all the dirty laundry getting hauled out in court..

CHERYL SHUMAN IS STALKING JOYCE DANELEN.
CHERLY SHUMAN IS NUTS. I AM IN FEAR FOR MY LIFE. IF THE POLICE DO NOT HELP ME AND YOU SEE JOYCE DANELEN’S NAME IN THE PAPER CALL THE POLICE AND REPORT
CHERYL SHUMAN AS THE MURDERER.
THANK YOU, I AM MAKING THIS PUBLIC!

I think the commenter’s above are right when they say that Rather is simply looking to be able to clear his name with liberal media types. But I don’t think CBS can settle this like they did with Imus. Imus was an entertainer who’s trademark was being a jerk. Rather presented himself as an unbiased journalist. There is a huge difference. Imus broke no codes of professional conduct Dan Rather did and it was demonstratively not the first time either.

As to Andy Rooney. He may be a far left liberal (Though I’m not so sure) but I still think he has the best job on Earth. The guy is paid big bucks to come on TV once a week for three minutes and complain. How great is that? I’d love that job and I’d be good at it.

Rather is a complete moron! He keeps saying no one has DISPROVED his story!

Sorry but last time I checked, a REAL reporter was supposed to PROVE his story before reporting it. Rather fail to prove his story with legitimate proof and came up with FALSE evidence to try to prove it…hence his disgrace and loss of position in the news industry.

And now he wants to say he was duped into it??? Boy is THIS going to be fun!!!

There is something about Rather that I have wondered about for a long time.

What is it about the Bush family that Blather has chased after, hated at, lied about, and conspired against since sometime back in the 1980′s?

He went after GHWB a number of times about various things, mostly just in the way of being rude and nasty on the air to him and it has been like Ahab and the white whale with GWB. The whale got Ahab in the end, too!!